Blood and Blossoms
by CaciaCoon
Summary: "And I kneeled, sank to my knees, in the bloody cherry blossoms his body had fallen in..." Angst, college- age fluff, violence, tragedy, all the good stuff. . Please R&R. Should I continue?


**_Ahmigahd, so sad_... DX It was hard to write this.  
**

**Caciacoon OUT!**

Yumi's POV

I smiled warmly up at my long-time boyfriend, Ulrich Stern. He had said he wanted to take me to the La fontaine aux oiseaux, one of our favorite places. I couldn't imagine why, though. There wasn't any special occasion. Maybe he was just being a wonderful person, he did that a lot. He smiled back at me, and put an arm around me waist. I pressed myself into his side, it was pretty cold for mid-september. Ulrich softly smiled. "I love you Yumi." he murmured happily in my ear. "As do I." I answered happily.

When we reached the fountain, the scene was beautiful. The fountain's ice-blue water trickled softly down the marble sides, one of my favorite sights. The different people milling about gave it a homely look. Crows and pigeons delicately flew overhead. "So..." I asked. "Why exactly are we here? not to be rude, Ulrich, but it's the middle of September. It's a bit late to go hang out in the open air." I said. Ulrich only grinned. "Follow me." he started pulling me along to the fountain. I smiled as I was pulled along. Even at twenty-seven he still had thirteen-year-old enthusiasm.

When Ulrich stopped he was standing in front of the fountain, his hand stuck in the pocket of the old trench coat he had refused to give up after all these years. He was grinning like a maniac, and had a very exited twinkle in his chocolate-brown eyes. He started to pull something out of his pocket. I think in the back of my mind I must have known what was happening, but at the time I had no idea. In his hand, he held a small black present box tied with a black ribbon. I'm pretty sure I gasped. "Is that- Is that what I-" I managed, squeaking. His smile got bigger, and happier, if that's even possible. "Open it!" Ulrich's voice was giddy with happiness. He gingerly handed the box to me. I started at it for about three seconds, and delicately pulled out the ribbon of it's knot. I slowly opened the lid, and nearly dropped the box. Ulrich caught it when it fell from my hands, and took it out of the box for me.

It was a beautiful ring, made out of dark cast iron inlaid with rough sapphires. They were my birthstone, and he knew I liked them better when they hadn't gone through a factory. Upon closely looking at it it was finely engraved with the words Tanz mit mir, mein alter Freund einmal, bevor wir gehen. Nehmen wir an, dieser Song wird nicht enden, und wir haben nie nach Hause gehen..., roughly translating to 'Dance with me, my old friend- once before we go. let's pretend this song won't end, and we never have to go home...' lyrics from a song she often made Ulrich listen to. "O- Oh my god, Ulrich... It's... It's beautiful..." Yeah, I know, mushy, but what was I supposed to say? I was being presented with the most beautiful piece of jewelry I had ever seen, and I'm sure you can guess why. Ulrich's smile had almost gone off of his face, but he managed to regain himself and put on a serious face. "Yumi Ishiyama, my friend and lover of almost twelve years now," He said solemnly, looking into my eyes deeply. Silence seemed to fall over everything.

"Will you marry me?" One thousand glass ornaments fell of of the christmas tree in my head. I had known what he was doing for about seven minutes now, but hearing the words was a completely different experience. My mind went inside out and backwards, and all the way through again. A million memories, most of them including Ulrich in them, flashed before my eyes. Everything seemed to fall down, then repair itself. It all happened in less than four seconds. Everything came back into perspective, and ulrich's face was in the center of it. His eyes were pleading for an answer that he got quickly.

I threw my arms gleefully around his neck in sheer joy, burying my face in his coat. He put his arms around my waist and laughed. "So, is that a yes, then?" I pulled away and gave him an "are you serious?l look. "Of course, Ulrich. I've wanted to marry you since i was fourteen!l Ulrich laughed again. The small crowd that had modestly gathered whistled and threw stuff like spare change and gum wrappers at us.

After the ruckus had died down, We were sitting under a cherry tree that was growing up out of the brick- paved ground. We were both in a bubble of warm happiness only engages twenty-somethings can share. A small child walking with her parents pointed to us. "Wook mommy theyow in Wuv!" He said. "segne dich, mein Kind." Ulrich murmured in german, smiling.

Suddenly, a loud gunshot rang out through the open pavilion. Soon after the clinking of lead/antimony alloy on stone followed. Everyone's head snapped in the same direction. Our eyes were met with a startling sight. A man dressed in black, holding a shotgun. I stifled a gasp. He had a crazy gleam in his eye, like his only goal in life was to captivate the look of horror that flashed across the crowd. Ulrich immediately shifted in front of everyone, like he was going to take him.

"Now, children." The man laughed sickeningly. "I want to see you run. Like little squealy pigs. And I want to see you turn into bacon, like little sqeualy pigs. And maybe Squeal." He held the gun at chest level to everyone. I was in total fear and shock. Ulrich narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. Everyone tensed. "There will be no squealing, running, or bacon here today." He said simply, in a low, threatening tone.

"Oh yeah, Pretty boy? Whatcha gonna do about it?" The man growled. Ulrich suddenly jumped very vastly and fastened his arm around the man's neck, evidentially trying to strangle him or something. Lyoko had done him well, he was very strong. I was so scared in that moment. My fingers were shaking on the trip down to my pocket, fumbling for my phone. I needed to call the cops. NOW.

Meanwhile, Ulrich and the man were wrestling on the ground very violently. Ulrich had a bloody wound on his forehead, and the man looked like he had a broken nose. As my fingers reached my cell, I saw another factor that almost made me drop it. There was a black van with tinted windows that the man must have come out of, and there was another figure getting out of the car. And he had an even bigger gun. I knew he meant to shoot Ulrich. The man Ulrich was wrestling with noticed his accomplice, and swiftly ducked out from under Ulrich. The figure cocked his gun. "Ulrich look ou-" I cried out.

But I was stopped.

With a

B

A

N

G

!

!

The man shot Ulrich straight through his back, going straight through his lungs, ribs, sternum, and heart. There was a sickening noise. Blood spurted everywhere. The crowd gasped in horror. Ulrich's eyes widened grotesquely as the full force of the pain hit him. There was a geyser of blood coming from his chest. Time was slowed, frantic. I tried to reach Ulrich, but I was kept by the mob that has rushed forward and pounced on the two gunmen. Ulrich's a real charmer, even when he's dying, I guess.

It seemed someone had already called the cops and the ambulance, because I heard sirens in the far distance. The crowd had tied the two men up and were looking for Ulrich who had disappeared. "Ulrich!?" I called, antagonized. I heard a weak noise from the cherry tree we had been sitting under not a moment before. I rushed over to him. He looked awful. He was soaked in his own blood, coming from a hole that I could see the bark of the tree through. I wanted to throw up, but instead I kneeled next to him. I couldn't speak.

Ulrich reached a bloody hand out and seemed to be trying to touch my face. I gently took his hand and held it there. He opened those heartbreaking eyes of his. "Yumi." His voice was almost pathetic. "Yumi, I need you to tell some people things." He croaked. I looked at him quizzically. "Who?" I asked. My voice was cracked and teared. We both knew he was going to die. Nothing could heal what had happened, and Ulrich would never take life support. "I want you to tell my d-d-dad that he was a fucking bastard. Tell him I said 'See you in Hell. From heaven!' and that he wasn't my family by a long shot." The sentence took a lot of effort. I could see his life pooling beneath me.

"And Shucks, tell the gang I loved 'em all. Best friends anyone could ever have." I nodded. I could hear the pounding feet of the paramedics behind me. A small smile tinged his face. How could he be smiling right now? She had always loved his smile, rare as it was. It lit up his face and everyone else's. "I love you, Yumes." He reached out again and trailed his fingers along my cheek. I pressed his fingers there and started to cry. "Don't cry, please..." He whispered. The paramedics were twenty feet away. "I'll be waiting for you." Ten feet. "Just promise me one thing..." Five. "You wait for me, too..."

And with those final words, Ulrich Stern departed this world. He closed his eyes and smiled. I swore I could hear the wind whispering his name, feel the ghostly fingers of ones passed stroke my hair. The paramedics reached us. They loaded Ulrich onto a stretcher despite my pleads and the fact he was...gone.

And as I watched the ambulance drive away down the road, sinking to me kees in the blood and cherry blossoms where he had died, I could hear his words again. "I'll be waiting...Just promise me one thing..."

"...Wait for me, too..."

**What do you think? I want to continue it. Should I? Please R&R!**


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